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What’s the definition of food porn? Funky Fries and Burgers fits the definition 100 percent. 

CLICK HERE TO ORDER CALI BBQ ONLINE

Successful modern marketing in the digital era is about getting attention. What’s more attention-grabbing than long strings of gooey cheese, towering hamburgers, huge Freak Cones, and heaping plates of Funky Fries topped with imaginative decadence (and mac and cheese).

With millions of views online for their sexy food videos and images, and a legion of fans, Funky Fries and Burgers is a veritable food porn star.

For example: behold the mighty Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese Fries. Fries topped with mac n cheese, slow cooked pulled pork, coleslaw, BBQ sauce, house made ranch dressing, and onion rings.

Are we making you hungry yet? #FunkYoDiet

Doing a search on social media for Funky Fries and Burgers is enough to make most anyone hungry. You eat with your eyes, after all.

As the restaurant says with a big neon sign on it’s wall: Diet Starts Tomorrow.

Funky Fries and Burgers owner Sebastian Hallak is a guest on this episode of the Digital Hospitality podcast.

You can tell Digital Hospitality is in Sebastian’s DNA in the uncensored and deep-diving conversation.

The Cali BBQ Media crew met with Sebastian at one of his three Funky Fries and Burgers locations to learn how the restaurant started drawing major attention online while posting high-quality content for social media to build their brand.

The fellow small business owners also dug into the nitty gritty of running a restaurant in 2020, digital marketing strategy, food photography tips, and building customers for life.

FUNKY FRIES AND BURGERS:

With inventive and award-winning menu items Funky Fries and Burgers has built a reputation as a place for fun, funky food experiences.

There are three Funky Fries and Burgers locations around San Diego: two in El Cajon and one in National City at Plaza Bonita. You can order online, but you’ve also got to visit their locations for the full funky experience.

Funky Fries and Burgers food is incredible and their Digital Hospitality is also incredible. Thanks to rock solid branding and training, there’s an energy inside their locations that draws you in and makes you want to keep coming back.

Funky Fries and Burgers first opened in 2016 with a 400-square-foot location.

Very quickly after opening the doors of their first spot, the restaurant found its digital marketing niche. The business and food porn go together like french fries and mac & cheese.

“We started creating that content and before you know it, Insider Cheese and all these food sites picked us up,” Sebastian Hallak said. Then the sexy food photos and video started to go viral on different platforms.

His funky creations were now in front of millions of people. “7 million views, 10 million views, big numbers,” he said.

Kyle Whissel’s East County Eats video of one of his visits to Funky Fries has about 3.5 million views and was shared by 43,000 people on Facebook.

Food porn has a funny name, but it’s also serious business.

In fact: “It’s a way of life,” Sebastian Hallak joked.

“Anything you can do to get their attention and make them hungry, that’s just the name of the game.”

LISA ANN TALKS ABOUT HER CAREER ON OUR PODCAST

GROWING A BRAND WITH FOOD SOCIAL MEDIA:

Everyone wants to grow their social media accounts. That takes engaging content. Lots of it. Video, audio, and writing.

Though there are sometimes negative connotations for “food porn” such as it being overly indulgent, unrealistic, and calorie-packed, it’s actually a positive thing for the many restaurants, food bloggers, and others who post food photos and video online to pique people’s appetites.

You can tell by now that food porn is not just a hashtag — it’s an art form.

MAKING CONTENT THAT CONVERTS:

Food porn has become its own genre because it works. And that’s why you should strive to find the equivalent in your industry.

What is the “food porn” in your business?

Think about what is the most stimulating imagery related to your brand. What photo would grab attention with your audience if you posted it online? What action shots would get people excited about your brand in a 1-minute video?

We shot lots of food porn of our own while stopping by Funky Fries and Burgers, including a Funky Fries Burger Challenge video and a behind-the-scenes tour of their amazing menu.

If you’re a listener of the podcast and haven’t seen our videos yet, make sure you subscribe to Cali BBQ Media on YouTube.

When you stop by Funky Fries and Burgers make sure you let them know you heard about them on Digital Hospitality.

https://www.funkyfriesandburgers.com

To watch the #ASKGARYVEE Gary Vaynerchuk and Jon Taffer (Bar Rescue) restaurant branding and marketing conversation discussed on this episode visit the GaryVee YouTube channel.

Thanks for listening, watching, and learning with us and supporting small business.

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Let us know how we can help you on your Digital Hospitality journey. podcast @ calibbq.media

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